Many people exercise their dogs by taking them for a walk. However, it is known that walking a dog does not provide the dog with sufficient exercise unless the dog is walked for extensive periods of time. However, most people do not take a dog for a lengthy walk because it is too exhausting or too boring.
The alternative is to exercise the dog while riding a bicycle. This is done by pedaling in the customary manner while holding the dog's leash in one hand or attaching the leash to the handle bars or other portion of the bicycle frame.
While this manner of exercise provides the dog with an excellent workout, it does however, subject both the dog and rider to possible serious injury. For example, the rider and/or dog may be injured if the dog should accidentally suddenly pull away from the bicycle or bump into the wheels or pedals. It is obvious that even a minor tug by the dog can cause the rider to lose control of the bicycle.
The dog may also be injured if either the dog or the bicycle comes to an abrupt halt. This can cause the leash to strangle the dog and topple the bicycle. In addition, if the leash should become entangled in the pedals, the dog may be strangled as well.
It is thus apparent that despite the benefits of exercising a dog while riding a bicycle, the dangers of this form of exercise far outweigh the benefits.
An attempt at overcoming these problems is disclosed in Boncela, U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,364 in which a stand-off bar is mounted to the frame of the bicycle having attached thereto an upright pin, preferably made of a resilient material which is adapted to deflect when the chain is pulled abnormally hard. Although this feature prevents strangulation of the dog, it fails to provide a device which is resilient and which readily adjusts to the movement of the dog while keeping the dog a safe distance from the pedals and the wheels.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device for exercising a dog while riding a bicycle in which the dog can not interfere with the rider.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device which is resilient and provides controlled resistance to the movement of the dog.